Hotdogs and Daydreams

                                    

                                          
"Good Evening Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys and Girls! Thank you so much for coming to our Parent's Evening.  I'm sure you'll all have a great time looking at the work on the boards and chatting with the staff.  The children have worked very hard this term and we're delighted to share some of that with you.  Please don't forget the highlight of our little get together will be the charity auction for our twin school in Ghana,  where the star lot will be the signed portrait of our resident God of Mischief and his Brother Thor. I have an extra treat to add to it too - personal delivery of said portrait and lunch with Loki!" Mrs Bennett turned and held her hand out, indicating a rather red faced but smiling Tom who was standing off to the side with Jamie and Jenny Grey.  He waved and the crowd of parents applauded enthusiastically, especially the mums it had to be said.  A lot of the dads did some eye rolling and head shaking.  How would they ever compete with that total sod of a perfect man! 
Mrs Bennett came off the platform and across to where they were standing. She was well dressed, fine featured older woman, maybe late 60's, who had decided retirement was a dirty word.  She loved her job and the children, even if they did add a little more grey to her already salt and pepper hair.  She smiled at Tom and Jamie.  "So you all set to be auctioneer then Mr Hiddleston?" she ALWAYS referred to him by his surname, it just wasn't in her to be forward.  Tom smiled and nodded.
"Absolutely am, even have my assistant primed to hold the lot up like they do on the telly!" he grinned and patted Jamie's head.  Jamie was wiggling about, hyper excited.  He'd had a great morning, telling all his pals about the day he spent on Uncle Chris's movie set.  He wasn't a boastful little boy, and as a result, any scrap of information he gave his friends was treated like a prize by them.  A few wandered up, even now, they were star struck.  
"M-Mr Loki?" A little girl, maybe ten years old, with pigtails and braces stood to the side, smiling broadly.  Tom turned and Loki's voice filled the gap between them 
"Yes, small Midgardian?  What do you require of me?" he looked at her, one eyebrow raised and she dissolved into giggles.  Tom struggled to keep a straight face and Jamie just looked at him in awe.  His ability to switch character in an instant always made his son wonder just how pretend Loki really was.
"C- could I - please could I - I mean..." she held out a phone and Tom realised she wanted a selfie with the God of Mischief. He decided to stay in character just a little longer.
"And why should I allow this?  I am Loki, Prince of Asgard, Rightful King of Jotunheim. Are you worthy?  Well, is she? " he turned to Jenny who almost swallowed the sweet she was eating whole in surprise.
Coughing, she laughed and nodded "Yes your Highness, Clare is definitely worthy" she turned away and tried not to splutter all over them.
"Then I agree.  Come here Little One." he commanded and knelt down, taking the phone and putting an arm around Clare.  "There.  Now show your parents that I can be quite friendly and they should kneel to me at all times." He stood up and laughed, breaking character.
"Was that ok Clare?  If you don't like the photo, come back ok?  I'll be here with Jamie all evening" he looked up to see Clare's mum standing a little way off, her face a picture of happiness for her daughter - and herself truth be told.  She waved and mouthed 'thanks' at Tom as they turned to go.
"Dad?" Jamie tugged on his hand "Dad - I'm hungry can we get something to eat?  There's a hotdog stand...." he looked up at Tom, his eyes pleading.  Tom smiled and nodded.
"Of course we can, it's been oh what?  Almost five hours since lunch?  You're bound to be on the verge of starvation by now eh?" he laughed and Mrs Bennett nodded.
"I better go and make sure everything is running smoothly, see you at 7.30 Mr Hiddleston, Miss Grey, Jamie." she walked away, leaving the three of them standing.  Jenny had been more or less silent up till now.  She wasn't really sure why she was there if she was totally honest.  Ever since the day of the 'hug' incident, things had changed.  They'd brushed it under the carpet and never spoken about it since but it hung in the air like some sort of spectre, threatening their uneasy truce.
For his part, Tom had really wanted things to go back to the way they had been.  He knew things had changed between them and he also knew it was his fault.  Try as he might, he couldn't get close to Jenny any more.  She was as friendly to Jamie as ever, as much of a mentor and a friend, but to him? There was a reservation he'd never felt before.  Like she was deliberately keeping her distance. Was it just the misunderstanding or was there more to it?  Something he wasn't aware of.  Was there someone special.  To his absolute dismay, that thought more than anything else, made him stop.  A sharp pain and an intake of breath made him realise just how much losing her as a close friend meant to him.
Jenny stood and watched the scene with Tom and Clare, her heart full of admiration for the man he was.  Unfounded admiration these days, she made sure she had very little to do with him outside of hello and goodbye.  Not now.  She couldn't afford to let herself fall any further.  Yes, she had admitted to herself in her lowest moments, she had fallen for him.  Stupid, unprofessional and downright ill-advised though it may have been.  Over the two years they had become friends she learned to see past the "Tom Hiddleston Movie Star" mask and into the face of Tommy Hiddleston, father and widower who sometimes was every bit as lost and lonely as his son.  She'd even, for one brief moment, allowed herself to think he cared a little for her too. Now she knew differently.  
Watching him with Jamie, she could see his love for his son shine through everything. Love like that didn't come along more than once in a lifetime.  And not for her.  She would have to content herself with something else.  And love Jamie.   Yes, no matter what, she would always have a place in her heart for the little boy with the blue-green eyes and the smile that lit up a room.
"So would you like one too?"  She came into the room with a start. Looking at the two of them, she became aware she'd been asked a question and she'd zoned out completely.
"Oh, em, sorry, what was the question? I was, em , thinking about... the auction." she lied and by the way Tom looked at her she could tell he saw right through her.
"Would you like a hotdog too miss?" Jamie was tugging on her hand now, dragging her off with him.  Tom intervened with a quiet but firm, 
"Jamie, don't" he used their 'public' name and Jamie looked at him, instantly realising what he'd done.  He dropped her hand with a jump.
"Sorry Miss Grey." he looked as if he was about to cry and Jenny instantly felt terrible.  None of this was Jamie's fault. 
"It's perfectly ok " she leant down and whispered "JJ" making his his eyes widen and his smile return. Standing up she said to them both "Holding my hand is the least I have to worry about. You have no idea how many times a week I get called mum!" she laughed and Tom gave her a dazzling smile. Despite herself, she felt a warm glow and decided it wouldn't do any harm just this once. "A hotdog would be lovely.  Thank you... both of you." She smiled at Tom and his heart lurched. A breakthrough?
As they walked off to the stand, Jamie and Jenny chatting together, Tom watched her carefully.  She really was something special.  He wanted her to see that too.  He wanted her to see that he wasn't the cold, reserved man she now believed.  That she hadn't done anything wrong and that he wanted to get to know her so much better.  He wanted to be the person that she had obviously been thinking of 5 minutes ago with such intensity.  He had to win her back, if she was ever his in the first place. 
Little did he realise he was only battling with himself.